Former Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal (Retd.) RKS Bhadauria joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in the national capital on Sunday (March 24), nearly two-and-a-half years after he retired from the post in the armed forces. He joined the BJP in the presence of Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur and BJP National General Secretary Vinod Tawde.
RKS Bhadauria held the post of 23rd Air Force Chief from September 30, 2019 to September 30, 2021. He is a resident of Bah tehsil of Agra district. BJP may make him the Lok Sabha candidate from Ghaziabad, according to sources.
What did the former Air Force chief say after joining the BJP?
Soon after joining the BJP, the Air Chief Marshal (Retd.) said that he served the IAF for several decades but the "best time of my service" was in the last eight years of the Narendra Modi government. He lauded the Centre's self-reliance push in the defence sector and said that it has given rise to a new capability in them.
"I thank the party leadership for giving me this opportunity to contribute to nation-building once again. I served the IAF for more than four decades, but the best time of my service was the last 8 years under the leadership of the BJP government. The tough steps taken by this government to empower and modernise our armed forces and make them self-reliant have not only given rise to a new capability in the forces but also given them a new confidence," he said.
"The results of the self-reliant move by the government can be seen on the ground... From the point of view of security, the steps being taken by the government are very important and will take India to new heights globally..." Bhadauria added.
Will he replace Gen VK Singh in Lok Sabha polls?
Another military veteran General VK Singh is the sitting Lok Sabha MP from the Ghaziabad seat. He is a two-time MP from the constituency, first fielded in 2014 and again in 2019. The BJP is yet to declare its candidates on the Ghaziabad seat in the four lists of candidates released so far.
The BJP top brass had held a CEC meeting yesterday and the party is expected to release its fifth list today.
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(With inputs from Avinash Tiwari)
